Saturn

is it possible to get this car with an original 6 speed? also, whats your opinion on the Camaro in general? would you recommend one as a daily driver or just a weekend car? what's your avg mpg? how much bhp does the stock car come with and how much have you got out of this one? I must say.. that's just such a beautiful car!

Nissan’s highly anticipated supercar, the GTR has been making a splash on the web today. The previous generation Skyline GTRs have been street and track stars around the world. But here, the car’s status was due almost entirely to it’s appearance in video games like Gran Turismo. In either case, the GTR’s performance is legendary. Well, soon we’ll be able to drive a real GTR on real American roads. The specifications have not been confirmed yet, but we’ve heard reports indicating has the power levels of around 450-460 hp will come from a 3.8-liter twin-turbo V6. And that’s pretty close to Porsche 911 Turbo territory. The power is sure to be routed through an advanced paddle-shifted manu-matic and a sophisticated all-wheel-drive system likely capable of vectoring torque at each wheel. That means this machine can hit 60 mph in 3.5 seconds and top out at around 194 mph thanks to a slick, aero-optimized bodywork. Expect pricing around $80,000, or right around the same neighborhood as a Corvette Z06 and Dodge Viper. We’ll have more information as soon as it becomes available, and be sure to stay tuned to our live reports from Tokyo all next week. —Ben Stewart http://www.popularmechanics.com/blogs/auto....html?series=38

Porsche Carrera vs. Golf 300 HP/PS Co-Driver Jean Pierre filmed his own death http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAcEkMAG7u4 ..Porsche driver pushed him off the road. Very "Sri Lankan" maneuver there...

Hey! don't insult clowns

Are you sure?? My dad had to take the test, despite having an LK licence. Perhaps this varies from state to state?

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/12/business...amp;oref=slogin NEW DELHI, Oct. 11 — A revolution is taking place in India that could change what most of the world drives. Next fall, the Indian automaker Tata Motors is scheduled to introduce its long-awaited People’s Car, with a sticker price of about $2,500. Hot on its tail may be as many as half a dozen new ultra-affordable vehicles — some from the world’s leading carmakers, including Toyota and Renault-Nissan. Well, hopefully the car will come to sri lanka eventually, but with tax + markup + other stuff I doubt it will be anything near the Indian price. Hope the car is a real car, not some joke like the QQ On the subject of QQ's, I'm shocked that people, especially ladies here buy that. I guess they havent seen the crash test videos..

Someone once refered to AAA as the best deal you can get in the US. It's actually pretty good. For a small annual fee they give you any map you want, and even include various services like free emergency towing, which is very usefull if you fall into a ditch in the middle of a snowstorm.

I never tried driving with a local licence, but I did get a US licence - its quite easy, show up, do a written test, do a simple driving test, answer some simple stock questions, and you get your licence. Edit, this was before 9/11, Homeland security etc. By now it probably isn't that easy.

Toyota's have experienced a known engine sludge issue - this has affected many late 90s-early 2000's vehicles. See google.

Be careful of tuktuks. Once, a tuktuk driver overtook me and crashed into a bicycle about 50 feet ahead. When he was pulled out, he claimed I was responsible as "The bicycle had to overtake me and [he] had to overtake the bicycle" This is the thing - when there's an incident, the first thing they do is blame the nearest car. Car drivers [anyone driving a decent vehicle] are considered easy targets. The same thing happens with pedestrians, motorcyclists, and other scum - blaming the car driver is easy as most people resent them anyway.

Well said. Aside from tuktuk/motorcycle drivers, even people driving 'proper' vehicles tend to act like idiots on our roads. I can't really say who's to blame. Maybe its a combination of a vindictive culture, lack of education, manners, and most of all, no IQ, which has led to the road being populated by morons. The traffic situation in Sri Lanka may be considered a non issue in the face of other issues (war, poverty, etc) but at the same time, it has a big impact on peoples lives. The average person spends anything from an hour upwards every day, 'battling' traffic. No matter whether you have your own vehicle, or travel in public transport, its still stressful and dangerous. True, traffic related deaths are rare, but a lot of needless accidents do happen, and many are injured daily. I know this traffic issue has been discussed so many times here, and in other places, but at the end of the day, I think it's a significant problem that affects this country and its peoples adversely. Personally, I find it hard to cope with crazy overtakers - I'm fine with anyone overtaking me but I take offense if their overtaking means that I have to slam my brakes and swerve to prevent crashing into them. Also, motorcyclists seem to have this belief that they have right of way and are invincible. In some ways, they are more impressive than three wheel drivers. And ironically, they too suffer the worst in any accident. Being a good motorist in Sri Lanka is hard - you have two choices. Drive nicely, and be overtaken and run off the road, or drive like a bat out of hell and hope your insurance policy is good, and your luck holds. There is no middle ground. The saddest thing is, with a little bit of effort (and a system of rules) the situation could be a lot better. But for this to happen, 1.) 99% of drivers would have to be reeducated, and 2). We'd have to have a working uncorruptable system to enforce road rules. Since neither of those things will happen in our lifetime, I guess the problem is here to stay.

Worst offenders are the local ladies.. (Of course.. guys are probably bad but I donno as I don't take any in my car! ) I remember this sweet girl who used to say "But my pappa doesn't ask me to wear a seatbelt" Well.. what can a person say to such brilliant logic.

A few weeks ago I saw a tuk tuk accident - the driver did a sudden turn, and the tuktuk flipped. Nobody died but the driver was hurt/bleeding. This is the second time I've seen a tuktuk fall over. From a design perspective, a tuk tuk is an unstable vehicle. Also, the people who drive it are barely qualified to walk on the roads far less operate these deathtraps. Still, a large percentage of the population of Sri Lanka consider tuktuks to be safe and reliable - executives, women, children, everyone travels in them. Has anyone who travels in a tuk tuk considered what would happen if the vehicle flips? You find yourself dragged sideways along the ground - and what if you are hit by any one of the hundreds of vehicles travelling recklessly on the road? I know there's a belief that tuk tuk drivers are 'experts' - but the thing is, every once in a way they have a bad day, or loose concentration for a moment. Or, the fact that they have no IQ catches up with them. And when that happens, people are usually hurt. I wonder if anyone has official statistics for tuk tuk accidents... So far I've seen more tuk tuk accidents than bike accidents on our road - not to suggest that bikes are safe here - but I'm beginning to consider that tuk tuks may be worse. And on the same subject, can someone tell me why local people are terrified of seatbelts? I keep asking people who travel with me to wear a seatbelt but they never think this is necessary. Most of all, why do people who are most vulnerable (pedestrians, motorcyclists, bicyclists, etc) take the most risks? Particularly motor cyclists?

There's a nice TV series on Star World Tuesdays - 11PM http://www.bullrun.com/ (more here, spoiler alert) Anyway, those of you with Comet, Dialog, LBN etc, do check it out.. Showed some fun stuff including people racing various cool vehicles..

Congrats dude! Well... our cops work in mysterious ways On the topic of cops gone wild, have you seen this

Nope this is not some wireframe CGI or cell shaded animation but a real scale model of a Toyota Corolla created by artist Benedict Radcliffe which was rendered entirely using wire. This new work was commissioned by Japan’s Densu Inc for an advertising campaign in the Middle East. From: http://www.hemmy.net/2007/09/28/wireframe-toyota-corolla/

Apparently there is a problem in Thailand with the illegal smuggling of sports cars into the country. To prevent "car laundering", the brilliant Thai government decided it was a better idea to destroy these cars to show the importers a lesson, instead of auctioning them off and using the proceeds to fund important programs to help the poor. The brilliant officials are seen here inspecting a Ferrari 456 GT, worth $1.2 million in Thailand, soon to be worthless. From: http://www.wreckedexotics.com/special/crush/

How about a used Imprezza?

Instead of assembling Jaguars, wouldn't it be better to assemble something ordinary people can buy like Corollas?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zwb-RNbdx5U

Note: It is confirmed that his helicopter crashed, but there's still no official confirmation (as of right now) that he was the pilot/died in the crash - check the wiki pages for updates: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Colin_McRae http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colin_McRae Colin McRae, the former world rally driving champion, is feared dead in a helicopter crash in Scotland. The aircraft burst into flames after it came down in woodland near Lanark, at around 4.10pm, killing everyone on board. Jean-Eric Freudiger, McRae's agent, last night told The Sunday Telegraph he had spoken to the driver's brother and that he had confirmed the former champion had been piloting the Squirrel aircraft. Speaking from his home in Switzerland, Mr Freudiger said he was still in shock and fighting back tears as he said he could not reach Mr McRae's wife, Alison. He added: "I have heard that it was his aircraft. He was in the helicopter. I cannot believe it was a helicopter pilot error because as my best friend and the godfather of my daughter I know he was a very safe pilot. "We have been close business partners and friends for seven years. He is the best person I have ever met in my life. I have to try and understand what I have just been told." The aircraft, which was registered to McRae, came down in Jervis Wood, around a mile from Mr McRae's home at Bellefield Road in Lanark. The 39-year-old McRae – who has two children, Hollie and Johnny – became Britain's first World Rally Champion in 1995 and was still competing in the sport. His father, Jimmy, was a five-time British rally champion, while his younger brother, Alister, is also a professional driver. Mr McRae has said he uses his helicopter, as well as a six-seater jet, to travel between his homes in Scotland, Monaco and Majorca. He once told reporters: "I don't have things for show. I'm not brash and I'm not on an ego trip. If I buy something it is because I genuinely want or need it." Squirrel helicopters can carry up to six people and police were last night unable to say how many people were on board. A spokeswoman for Strathclyde Police said: "There is at least one dead and no one survived the crash. We don't yet know how many people were on board." The crash was witnessed by a farmer. The aircraft was so badly damaged by fire that police could not initially identify what type it was. The Scottish Ambulance Service confirmed that its own helicopter had been despatched to the scene along with three ambulance crews. Strathclyde Fire Brigade also sent units to the scene. The RAF spokesman added that its helicopter was on stand-by to assist. Police have cordoned off the area and the Air Accident Investigation Branch has been informed. A spokesman for the British Airports Authority said the helicopter did not come from Glasgow or Edinburgh Airports. Four people were killed when a Squirrel helicopter crashed in Cambridgeshire, earlier this year. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml.../ncopter115.xml

http://drive-line.com/09/11/frankfurt-auto...ghini-reventon/

http://englishrussia.com/?p=1401#more-1401

Have a good one!!! Hope you get a CPU shaped birthday cake?